IMS 2026: Beth Faiman Details First Consensus Definition of Myeloma Cure

At the 23rd Annual Meeting & Exposition of the International Myeloma Society (IMS 2026), multiple myeloma clinical leaders introduced a consensus definition establishing formal criteria for functional cure in multiple myeloma.

In an interview with Oncology Nursing News, Beth Faiman, CNP, PhD, Adult Nurse Practitioner in Hematology/Oncology at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, highlighted the consensus criteria developed jointly by the IMS and the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG).

Faiman explained that as novel CAR T-cell therapies, such as ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), produce deep remissions after a single cellular infusion, establishing standardized criteria to define long-term remission became essential for oncology nursing teams.

Key Takeaways for Oncology Nursing Practice

• Treatment-Free Interval: Patients must maintain complete cessation of all anti-myeloma therapy for at least 5 consecutive years.
• Sustained Complete Remission: Full clinical complete remission must be confirmed using standard International Myeloma Working Group response criteria.
• Serial NGS-MRD Negativity: Patients must achieve minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity across 4 serial assessments over 5 years.
• Comprehensive PET-CT Imaging: Negative baseline and serial PET-CT imaging is mandatory to rule out extramedullary disease or focal bone lesions
• Advanced Practice Nursing Role: Oncology nurse practitioners play a pivotal role in coordinating serial bone marrow biopsies, imaging protocols, and longitudinal patient education.

Establishing Criteria for Functional Cure

Faiman emphasized that long-term data from cellular therapy trials prompted multidisciplinary societies to define specific parameters for functional cure in multiple myeloma care.

"So the International Myeloma Society and the International Myeloma Working Group got together and partnered and developed a definition of cure," Faiman stated. "If we're seeing that patients get one singular cellular infusion … and then you're not needing treatment for 5 years, is that that cure?"

To establish an objective benchmark, the joint panel outlined rigorous biochemical, cellular, and radiographic thresholds.

Faiman noted, "patients should have stopped all anti-myeloma treatment for at least 5 years, must be in complete remission by the International Myeloma Working Group criteria, must have only one in a million or less plasma cells in their bone marrow by this next generation sequencing technique".

Incorporating Serial MRD and PET-CT Surveillance

Achieving sustained undetectable minimal residual disease requires longitudinal testing to confirm durable clearance of malignant plasma cell clones over time.

In addition to bone marrow evaluation, Faiman highlighted the necessity of serial PET-CT imaging to detect extramedullary plasmacytomas or focal osseous relapse.

“We know that these patients with myeloma sometimes will have relapse in the bone marrow or tumors such as plasmacytomas that can attach to the bone or be floating around the body," Faiman noted. "You have to have the imaging part and you have to have the serial MRD assessment part. And for those individuals, it can be considered cured at 5 years according to this new definition."